The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships
by pink-hime-sakura
Summary: A royal prince, abandoned from birth, signifying the destruction of his town. A royal princess, supposedly daughter of the immortal god Zeus, with beauty that sends chaos into the world. When they meet, sparks fly and the war begins. S+S, E+T
1. The Two That Aphrodite Loved

**Ohayo, minna-san! Pink_hime_sakura desu. **

**This is my first fic, I¡¯m sooooooo excited! It¡¯s based on the Trojan War, so I¡¯m going to use CCS names and Greek names for the humans, but I¡¯ll keep the gods and goddesses with their original names.**

**Sakura- Helen**

**Tomoyo- Andromache**

**Eriol- Hector**

**Syaoran- Paris**

**Touya- er¡­umm¡­Touya. Sakura¡¯s brother. Yeah. ^.^() Heh heh heh¡­**

**Yukito- Helenus (Cassandra¡¯s twin)**

**Nakuru- Cassandra**

**Like I said, this fic is based off of the Illiad, or the story of the Trojan War. I don¡¯t own the Illiad. That was written by a blind guy. I¡¯m not a blind guy. Period. So don¡¯t sue me for that, k? ^_~**

**I don¡¯t own Cardcaptor Sakura, so don¡¯t sue, unless you want¡­*searches pockets* ummm¡­a lint thingy, a dirty penny, and some sticky thing¡­ew¡­gross¡­. **

**Okay, well¡­on with the fic!**

**¡­ shows thought**

**(¡­) shows English translation of the word**

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_Sakura stared desolately at the battlefield over the high walls of Hong Kong. She still remembered a time when the gardens were filled with sweet-scented flowers and all sorts of interesting plants. She still remembered a time when little animals, rabbits and butterflies and sometimes even deer roamed the now-desolate forests- forests cut down to provide enough firewood for the city now under siege. She still remembered those times, when she had just newly arrived in Hong Kong._

_Then came this blasted war, this abominable fury that swept over the grassy hills and fruitful plains; the abomination that was caused by her._

The face that launched a thousand ships- that¡¯s what they called her. She felt disgusted of herself. All this destruction, all this misery¡­ all happened because of her.

~~~~~~~~~10 years ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hong Kong

¡°Mou (Argh), oka-san (mom)!!! Stop it!!!¡± Li Syaoran, once abandoned and newly-found son of the great and prosperous Li kingdom was currently pouting in a very un-princelike way. ¡°Even if I AM a prince, and a newly found one, I don¡¯t see any reason for you to fuss over me like a girl!¡±

¡°Gomen nasai (I¡¯m sorry), Syaoran, I¡¯m just so happy I found you again¡­¡± Li Yelan, queen of the Li kingdom, sighed, a happy sigh. ¡°Gomen nasai. For everything¡­I¡¯m so sorry I abandoned you for a bunch of ghastly dreams and old, trickster oracles. How in the world can you bring destruction to Hong Kong?¡± Yelan¡¯s eyes clouded and became misty. She wasn¡¯t the type to cry at every little thing. Perhaps I¡¯m getting old faster than I expected¡­ Yelan wiped her eyes gently on her handkerchief.

¡°Daijoubu (It¡¯s alright), oka-san¡­¡± Syaoran¡¯s eyes softened seeing his mother¡¯s pain. ¡°I¡¯m back now, that¡¯s all that count, right?¡±

¡°Oh, Syaoran¡­¡± Yelan hugged her son tightly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomoeda

¡°Hoe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±

Rika Sasaki stepped back from the bed with an empty bucket.

¡°What was that for?¡±

Rika just looked at her.

After a few seconds, a look of realization crossed the delicate face of Kinomoto Sakura, princess of the island of Okinawa, and she jumped up from her featherbed. ¡°I¡¯m LATE!!!!!!!!!!!¡± She ran around anxiously like a chicken with its head cut off.

Rika sweatdropped. This was Sakura¡¯s big day, her wedding day to the honorable King Menelaus, and she still couldn¡¯t break her habit of sleeping in.

¡°Rika-chan!¡± Sakura moaned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up earlier??!!¡± She tried to climb out of her pajamas but ended up tripping instead. ¡°Hoe¡­¡±

Rika tried to surpress a smile. Klutzy Sakura-chan¡­ ¡°Here, let me help you.¡± While helping Sakura out of her pj¡¯s, Rika explained. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to wake you up since 2 hours ago, but you simply refused to be awakened. I tried yelling, shaking, and even tried a gong. It didn¡¯t work, so I had to go get a bucket of ice water. Gomen ne, Saku-chan.¡±

¡°Daijobu, just help me dress!!!!¡±

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So, what did you think? ^_^ I rather liked it. If you guys have any suggestions, just tell me. I¡¯d really appreciate some help with brainstorming! Well, sayonara for now! 

Pink_hime_sakura 


	2. The Diplomat

**Ohayo gozaimasu!**

**This is pink_hime, I'm back again! ^_~**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT own Cardcaptor Sakura or the Illiad, so please don't sue and take away my lint-thingy, penny, or sticky thing! Domo.**

**I sorta had some problems last time with the formatting, but I hope it works better this time.**

**Thanx for my ONE reviewer...*glares* Just kidding, but I would like to see more replies, k? So please R/R, even if it is flames. If its flames, I'll laugh!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! HAHAHA!!!!! Ok, I'm done now ^.^!**

**... shows thought**

**(...) shows English translation**

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_Sakura Kinomoto. That's who I am. The destroyer of hundreds, the killer of thousands. Still looking blankly over the walls of Hong Kong, Sakura searched for the one who had brought her here, the one man she loved, Syaoran. She knew that the right thing to do was to turn herself over to the Japanese, to return to her first and lawful husband, Menelaus, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. That would mean deserting Syaoran, deserting the one who set her heart on fire. Curse that Aphrodite! The one who started this whole mess._

_Remembering the war being fought below, on the plains, Sakura gazed down once more, just in time to see a Japanese man kill an enemy soldier. She was once so innocent, and seeing a man skewered like that would have shocked her to hysteric tears, but now she was barely fazed. Seeing all these men in combat seemed like seeing a competition of some sort...a competition in which the lives of thousands of people were at stake, a competition in which she was the prize. How she longed for the carefree, happy days of her youth. But no, without Syaoran, she couldn't bear to go on._

_This sorrow, this pain...she was feeling it too, although she was not being stabbed on the battefield, Sakura Kinomoto was being pierced in her soul._

~~~~~~~~~~~9 years ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hong Kong

"Court is commenced." The courtier bowed his head low and moved back among the ranks of several government advisors and military generals.

"First situation in need of discussion?" Li Jinlong, king of the Hong Kong empire, ruler of the seas, father of many royal children, stood up, ready to face the matters of concern.

An aged lord came forth, head bowed. "May your majesty live a hundred thousand years. There is one matter of great concern, which is the Japanese. They have been pressing for a diplomatic meeting, and your humble servant is sure they will want free access to the islands in the pacific."

"Nani (what)?" Jinlong laughed. "Are they CRAZY? They know I will not yield to that demand. I make a fortune from these waters, and I will not relinquish my hold on them. However, to maintain peace, I shall send a diplomat to them. Who among these ranks shall go?"

A handsome young man stood up. "My esteemed father, I would care to try my skills on this mission."

"Syaoran?" Jinlong seemed bemused. "Alright, seeing as this is a rather easy task- after all, saying no is not hard- I shall send you to gain some experience of the outside world."

Oh, so my father gives me the task because it is easy, Syaoran thought bitterly, but showed no signs of it on his face. "Thank you, my lord. I shall leave in three days."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomoeda

"Hoeee! A prince is coming in three days?" Sakura hugged a pillow to her lithe body. Wow, I've never met a prince before...maybe Ichira knows something about princes, after all, she has already borne one!!! Her thoughts wandered to her twin sister and her child, Hiro. "How KAWAII (Cute)!!!!"

"What, the prince hasn't even arrived, and Sakura-chan is already dreaming of him?" Rika teased.

"Eh?" Sakura popped back to reality. "Iie (No)! Iie!! I was thinking of Ichira and her son!!!" Sakura was blushing like crazy, and sure looked like the fruit that her name represented.

"Nani?" Rika acted surprised. "And here I was, thinking you didn't want to be married to Menelaus." Sakura was already married for one year, and she still acted so silly. Rika giggled. Tormenting Sakura-chan is soooo fun!

"Hmph," Sakura pouted. "One would think you, Rika, is the queen around here..."

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**Oops, that was a little short. Oh well, I'll try to write longer once Sakura and Syaoran meet. KAWAII! Oh, and do you think I should make the Hong Kong people speak Chinese or Japanese? Right now, Jinlong is speaking Japanese too, because "nani" is Japanese. Oh well!**

**I guess some of the characters are a little out of character, but I'm trying my best!**

**Okie, well this is pink_hime_sakura, signing out!**

**P.S. Please R/R!!!!!**


	3. The Dream

**Ohayo!**

**Sorry guys! I was trying to put in html, but I guess I'm not so good with computer stuff, ne? Well, I guess I'll stop with the wierd html stuff. I'll try to replace the 2nd chappie, seeing as it's so screwed up. Heh heh.**

**Well, there's not much to say, but I hope you've been enjoying the story so far...^_^ I know I like writing it! Yay, it's the chappie where Syaoran gets to play judge!!!! Hehe!**

**I've been thinking about the end of this fanfic, and as the original ending is tragic, I was thinking maybe I could change it. If you guys have any ideas at ALL on how I can make the ending happier, but still effective, I thank you forever ^.^!**

**Once again, please do not sue me, I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or the Illiad. I do, however, own lint. ^_~**

**Here goes!**

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_The stink of the battlefield clouded Sakura's mind. As always, when worrying about Syaoran, Sakura's heart was wrung out. Some of the men's wives had seemingly gotten used to this routine of helping their men into their armor, possibly for the last time, but in truth, Sakura knew that no one felt as carefree as they acted. The men may be the defenders of the city, but the women are the ones who suffer...each morning they tie a weight to their hearts, the weight being the safety of their loved ones. If their lovers die, how much more will their heart be in pain? This desolation wreaked it's havoc on Sakura, she felt a million years older than she actually was, although she still retained her heavenly perfection given to her by the goddess Aphrodite._

_Aphrodite was the most powerful goddess. At least, that's what Sakura thought. Aphrodite could turn men's lives upside-down, and ruin the lives of ordinary people. Aphrodite...given the humongous charge of love. Love, swifter than an arrow, less logical than anything else in the world. Love, that can make people do the silliest, and sometimes, most dangerous, things. _

_Sakura sighed and turned away from the outside world, her slim hand lightly resting on her cheek, and then smiled happily. Syaoran should return soon, and after a hard day's battle should want a hot meal and an inviting wife. Whatever would I do were he to not come back..._

~~~~~~~~~~~9 years ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hong Kong

Left. Right. Down. Right. Kick. Jump. Up. Lef-

¡°Syaoran-kun!!!!!¡± A shrill voice broke through Syaoran¡¯s concentration.

¡°Nani (what)?¡± Syaoran looked up from his training, annoyed, only to gaze wearily at his new fianc¨¦e, Li Meiling, a princess of the Li kingdom, and his cousin. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of one hand, and walked towards where the towels were, draping it over his broad shoulders.

¡°Auntie Yelan says you must sleep early tonight as you are leaving tomorrow for Japan. I¡¯ll miss you soooooo much!¡± Meiling wailed. ¡°Hey, matte (wait)¡­¡± Meiling¡¯s ruby eyes narrowed suspiciously. ¡°What are you going there for anyways?¡±

Syaoran sighed. Since he had come back to the palace a year ago, Meiling had clung onto him like crazy, and his parents finally agreed to them being betrothed. What good is being a prince when you don¡¯t even have a choice on who you get to marry? After toweling his hair off, Syaoran walked off towards his quarters, ignoring Meiling.

¡°Matte Syaoran-kun!!!!!! They want to find you a Japanese bride, don¡¯t they? Well, they CAN¡¯T!!! I¡¯m already betrothed to you and we¡¯ll live happily ever after and¡­¡± Meiling¡¯s piercing statements eventually faded away from his mind as he headed off to his room, thinking of his new adventure to come.

Not even bothering to change his clothes, Syaoran flung himself, wearied, onto his bed, and drifted off into the world of slumber.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Syaoran¡¯s dream~~~~~~~~~~~

As Syaoran woke up groggily, he found himself lying on a spotless, marble floor. Huh? What am I doing here¡­ He pushed himself up from the floor, only to see three very regal ladies standing on a marble platform several feet before him. They didn¡¯t seem to notice him, and were arguing among themselves. Syaoran could only catch snippets of their conversation.

_¡°¡­but obviously I¡¯m the one¡­as the goddess of beauty¡­¡±_

_¡°Come, come, Aphrodite, we all know¡­isn¡¯t about beauty¡­bribes¡­¡±_

_Syaoran strained to hear more._

_¡°If he were truly a fair judge¡­to me¡­¡±_

_Suddenly, one of the three ladies noticed him, her foamy deer eyes gazing at him, her sensual body calling out to him, her very form radiating beauty. She looked at him meaningfully before opening those dainty pink lips and calling out to the others._

_¡°Look, he¡¯s awake.¡± Her voice was heavenly soft, filled with the silkiness of charm. How beautiful¡­_

_The other two abrubtly stopped arguing, and turned to face him. A very majestic lady stepped forward, her cold eyes looking him over. ¡°Ah, so Hermes has brought him. Good.¡± Syaoran shuddered slightly under her icy gaze._

_The third one, with an owl on her shoulder, looked at him, and he saw in her eyes wisdom and knowledge, and secrets of the universe from the beginning of time. Her gaze seemed to see right through his body to his soul._

_That¡¯s when he realized¡­these were goddesses; Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, Hera, wife of Zeus and goddess of marriage, and Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy. Syaoran almost froze with the shock of the knowledge, but then overcame the fear and bowed down low._

_¡°Goddesses¡­¡±_

_Hera stood forward, and walked down the paved marble steps down from the platform, and stopped right in front of him._

_¡°I see you recognize us. We are here today because of a slight¡­disagreement. There is an apple, an apple of the purest gold, with the words ¡°To the fairest¡± inscribed on it. You have been appointed as our judge, and shall choose which of us is most beautiful.¡± Hera nodded, and a servant Syaoran had not realized was there appeared with a golden apple on a cushion. Syaoran gaped. He could¡¯ve sworn the man was not there before._

_Hera looked at him sternly, and he gulped. ¡°If you choose to award me this prize, I shall bestow upon you riches and honor, more than anyone has ever dreamed of.¡± After saying this, Hera stepped back, and Athena came up._

_¡°If you choose to award me this prize, I shall bestow upon you the wisdom and cunning that no man has ever possessed.¡± She, likewise, stepped back, and the goddess who had entranced him since he arrived stepped forward._

_She, standing in all her glory and radiance, merely smiled. Syaoran stared at her, transfixed. Her pale, marble-like arms shone with light. Her hair was in waves, caressing her supple body. Her slender waist flowed down into two willowy legs, and it seemed to Syaoran as if she was the wind itself, so smoothly and gracefully did she move. Becoming uncomfortable with the silence, Hera coughed._

_Syaoran started, and, although he wanted to admire the goddess even more, he was scared of the goddess¡¯ wrath. Some mighty warrior you are, frightened of a woman. Even if she is a goddess¡­_

_Then, Aphrodite opened her perfect little mouth. ¡°Choose me, Syaoran-kun.¡± She seemed to caress Syaorans¡¯ name with her toungue. ¡°Choose me, and you will have the most beautiful lady in the world as your wife.¡±_

_Syaoran¡¯s mouth seemed to move on its own. ¡°Surely none can be more beautiful than you, Lady.¡±_

_The other two goddesses sucked in their breath. ¡°Is that your final decision?¡± Athena and Hera gazed at him, their faces showing anger, sorrow, jealousy, and hope at once._

_Syoaran nodded, and handed Aphrodite the apple. Suddenly, the beautiful white room he was standing in swirled into nothingness._

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Ooooh! That was fun. This is a pretty long chappie, yay!! I luv Syaoran-kun! Hehe!

**My favorite stories are ALL by little wolf LOVER. Little wolf LOVER is the BEST author ever. Wild Things!, Queen of the Wolves, The meaning of love, and the Galatian Queen are my favorite stories, and they¡¯re all by little wolf LOVER. Read those stories, they¡¯re the BEST!!!!!**

**Don¡¯t forget to R/R!**

**Pink_hime_sakura ^_~**


	4. The Banquet I

**Ohayo gozaimasu! I¡¯m back, with chapter 4.**

**Again, I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura or the Illiad.**

**Sorry it took me longer to update chappie 3, but I updated 3 and 4 at the same time, so does it make up for my tardiness? Geez, I sound like a teacher¡­. But yeah, my mom barred me from going on the internet ALL WEEKEND!!!! That meant no updating. So, sorry. ^_~()**

**Oh, and I don¡¯t really know which of Japan¡¯s islands Tomoeda is on, so don¡¯t blame me! If any of you know, please tell me!!!**

**Okie dokie, on with the story! **

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¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Syaoran¡¯s voice echoed through the hall, and a flurry of cloth came tumbling towards him.

_¡°Syaoran-kun!!!!¡± The face that launched a thousand ships peered up at him, eyes starry and cheeks red. ¡°I¡¯m soooooo glad you¡¯re home! I missed you so much!¡± Sakura squealed. Whenever I¡¯m not around him, I act so¡­different. No one in Hong Kong accepts me, except the men and Tomoyo. Even Yelan hates, well, dislikes me, because I¡¯ve put her sons in danger¡­but around Syaoran¡­around Syaoran I¡¯m loved._

_Syaoran chuckled. ¡°My kawai (cute) chibi (little) cherry blossom¡­¡± He winced a little as Sakura pulled him into a rib-breaking hug._

_Concern immediately flooded Sakura¡¯s gorgeous face. ¡°Daijoubu desu (Are you alright), Syaoran-kun?¡± Sakura gasped as she peeled away his shirt, seeing the wound on his arm. ¡°Syao-kun, you¡¯re hurt!!!¡± She quickly called a servant to wash and dress his wound as she pulled him down into a chair. ¡°How¡­¡±_

_Syaoran grimaced a little as a healing herb, rare nowadays because of the siege, was crushed and placed on his cut. ¡°Flesh wound, nothing much. Besides, I will never die on the battlefield. I can¡¯t die without seeing your face one last time.¡±_

_Sakura¡¯s perfectly shaped eyes stared into his eyes, and emerald met amber. ¡°Promise?¡±_

_¡°Promise.¡± Syaoran¡¯s heart was about to burst from all of his love for Sakura. The magical feeling dissipated as Syaoran yelped._

_The two broke apart quickly, and Sakura looked to see what was the matter. The servant who was wrapping a bandage around Syaoran¡¯s arm fell down to the ground, horrified. ¡°Master¡­gomen nasai (I¡¯m sorry)¡­please¡­please forgive this worthless one¡­this worthless one was just bandaging Master Syaoran¡¯s wound¡­this worthless one didn¡¯t mean to hurt Master.¡±_

_Sakura glared at the servant, angry at such clumsiness. About to punish the servant, Sakura stood up, but a hand grabbed her arm._

_¡°Daijoubu (it¡¯s okay), Sakura-chan. I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t mean to do it,¡± Syaoran reassured her. _

_ Sakura reluctantly sat back down, and the servant scampered away, with both fear and relief showing on his face, when they heard a knock at the door._

_Sakura, having just dismissed the servant, stood up again and opened the door._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~9 years ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomoeda

Syaoran growled. Can¡¯t these stupid servants walk any faster??!! ¡°Hayaku (Hurry)!¡± he ordered the servants carrying the palanquin he was sitting on. He was already at Tomoeda¡¯s coast, he had just gotten off the ship, and was riding the palanquin the King of Hiroshima had sent.

He was freezing; it was much warmer in Hong Kong. ¡°Faster,¡± he barked, while trying to keep from shivering. It wasn¡¯t actually that cold, but he had only brought warm-weather clothing.

After half an hour or so, they finally arrived at the palace. The servants bowed as Syaoran dismounted and walked into the palace. He looked around, amazed. This palace was so big! Hong Kong was a small island, and therefore could not have such big buildings. Syaoran totally forgot about the banquet King Menelaus had ordered in honor of him, as he wandered off into the palace of 1000 rooms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~9 years ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomoeda

¡°Ooooooohhh,¡± Sakura moaned. ¡°Menelaus is gonna KILL me!!!¡± She lifted her pink skirts as she hurried towards the banquet hall as fast as her tall shoes could carry her without tripping. She should have known she¡¯d lose track of time and be late. 

Sakura loved animals, especially horses. Every day she would go out and play with them. How could I be so stupid? I even reminded myself of the foreign prince¡¯s arrival before I left for the stables¡­ Totally forgetting any appointments as she played with the horses, she only remembered about the prince when she heard the servants talking about it 15 minutes before.

¡°I¡¯m late I¡¯m late I¡¯m late I¡¯m late!!!!¡± She paused for one minute to take a breath, her hand against her pounding heart, then she raced off again, only to bump into someone.

¡°Oof!¡± She cried as she fell down. Ugh, now I¡¯m really gonna be late¡­uh oh, something must be wrong with me, the ground feels soft and warm all of a sudden¡­ Totally lost in her thoughts, Sakura forgot about everything except for the soft and warm ¡°ground¡±.

¡°Gomen nasai (I¡¯m sorry), lady. It was all my fault,¡± A masculine voice announced.

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Oh, gee, I really wonder who that was¡­bad attempt at a cliffy¡­heh heh. ^.^() Oh well, it was worth a try. There¡¯s not much to say, except¡­REVIEW, PLEASE!!

Pink_hime_sakura


	5. The Banquet II

**Konnichiwa!**

**My creative juices are flooding!!!!! YEAH! Okay¡­um¡­I¡¯m done. T.T() Yeah. So, what¡¯s up? Does ANYONE know how to put bold, italics, and underline in? Because when I write it, my authors notes are in bold, and the present story is in italics, but it doesn¡¯t show up once I upload it. Grrr¡­.evil computers. You THINK YOU CAN RULE THE WORLD???!!!! THINK AGAIN!**

**Oops¡­/-_-\() I¡¯m waaaaaaay too hyper right now¡­You can just ignore me. **

**Oh wait, before you start ignoring me¡­I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯m going to make Touya Agaememnon! What do you think?**

**Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat do not, I repeat do not, I repeat do not!!!!!!! Own Cardcaptor Sakura OR the Illiad.**

**Okay, now that that¡¯s outta the way, OPEN THE FLOODGATES of creativity!!!**

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Sakura gasped with delight. Tomoyo and Eriol had come to pay them a visit! ¡°Come in, come in!!!¡±

_¡°I do hope we¡¯re not imposing, Sakura-chan!¡± Tomoyo waltzed into their house and smiled at her lovely friend. ¡°So, how¡¯s it going for you?¡±_

_¡°Great,¡± Sakura giggled childishly. She was so happy that Tomoyo was not her enemy. All the other ladies seemed to hate her for starting this war. Some of them even accused her of trying to steal their husbands. Sakura shuddered in disgust; it was more of the other way around. However, even though her husband was the leader of the Hong Kong army, Tomoyo didn¡¯t blame her at all. In fact, Tomoyo even called her ¡°Kawaii (Cute)¡± all the time, and made her outrageous outfits when she already had enough clothes. She shook these thoughts out of her head. What am I thinking? I have guests now. I can¡¯t let my mind wander. ¡°Please, come in and sit down. We were just about to dine. Syaoran!¡± She called. ¡°Tomoyo and Eriol are here!¡±_

_Syaoran appeared in the doorway with a tight smile plastered on his face. Syaoran and Eriol didn¡¯t get along very well; Eriol liked to tease Syaoran while Syaoran was annoyed at how much power Eriol had. ¡°Welcome.¡± His voice didn¡¯t make them sound welcome at all, but Eriol came in nevertheless, smiling like the Cheshire Cat._

_¡°Hello, my cute little descendant.¡±_

_¡°Although you are older than me, I am FAR from your descendant, and I¡¯m definitely not cute or little.¡± All traces of cordiality disappeared from Syaoran¡¯s face as he gritted his teeth and stared at the navy-blue haired war general, prince, and heir to the Li kingdom. If looks could kill, even the Cheshire Cat, with its 9 lives, would be killed a hundred times over._

_Sakura and Tomoyo suppressed giggles as the men bantered. ¡°So Tomoyo,¡± Sakura smiled, turning to Tomoyo. ¡°How is little Hiro?¡±_

_¡°Ah, if he were here, he¡¯d be very angry at your words. In his mind, he is no longer a little boy.¡± Tomoyo¡¯s eyes looked sad. ¡°In fact, he even refused to come stand by me on the wall to watch his father fight the Japanese. He said he was already grown up, and was going to watch the battle with the other men. My baby is no longer a baby, or mine.¡± Tomoyo looked as if she were about to cry, so Sakura hastily changed the subject._

_¡°Hiro-kun is already nine, correct? His birthday will be soon, so perhaps we can throw a double-number* birthday celebration for him!¡± Sakura looked hopefully at her friend. She had already lived almost nine years in this country, and nowadays, as long as Syaoran wasn¡¯t home, she couldn¡¯t bear the anxiety and boredom. No, she couldn¡¯t call it boredom, it was more like she had nothing to do except pace around, waiting for Syaoran to come home._

_¡°Perhaps¡­I rarely see Hiro-kun now, since he moved to the men¡¯s quarters when he turned 8. Maybe at the party I can spend more time with him¡­¡± Tomoyo speculated. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. I shall ask Eriol about it.¡±_

_Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside. Tomoyo and Sakura jumped, and looked towards the source of the noise through the window. Even Eriol and Syaoran had stopped arguing and stared outside, as a dark figure started to slink past the window towards the door._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~9 years ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomoeda

¡°Oh!¡± Sakura stared into the handsome young man¡¯s eyes, drowning in the pools of amber. Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from the swirls of chocolate to look at the mysterious man¡¯s face, and gasped, tearing herself away from his hold, albeit reluctantly. ¡°Who¡­who are you?¡± Sakura had never seen this man before. He definitely was not a servant, because his manner and appearance signified a very high class man.

¡°Who am I? And may I ask why the lady wishes to know?¡± Syaoran chuckled. Sakura thought she could stand here listening to his rich, throaty voice all day.

Even though Sakura was entranced by the mysterious gentleman, she found a witty quip. ¡°The lady wishes to know how best to serve this noble gentleman.¡± Sakura curtseyed, and practically burst out laughing, but waited to see if Syaoran had recognized the sarcasm.

Syaoran was very puzzled. The lady standing before him definitely did not look like a prim and proper noblewoman; she had a cheerful, optimistic face, and the beauty of a goddess. Syaoran frowned inwardly. Goddess? Something tugged at his memory, but he just couldn¡¯t recall what. Then, he noticed that Sakura was very red and her lips were twitching. He erupted into laughter and Sakura burst out giggling, as well.

Suddenly, they made eyes contact once more, and the laughter abrubtly stopped as the two drifted off into their own world. 

They stared at each other, as if reading each other¡¯s minds, and both of them knew they were in love. Syaoran leaned down, and their lips met. Although Sakura knew this was wrong- she was married, for heavens sake!- she couldn¡¯t stop herself. This man¡¯s lips are so amazingly soft...

The kiss grew deeper, as the two wrapped their arms around each other. Each was becoming increasingly passionate, and it seemed they would never break their kiss, when suddenly...

CRASH!

A little ball of golden fur tumbled across the hallway after running into and becoming tangled in Sakura¡¯s dress. Sakura and Syaoran immediately broke apart, just before several kitchen hands raced into the hall, gasping for breath. Then, one of them noticed Sakura, and immediately fell to his knees.

¡°Queen Sakura!¡± All of the other servants also dropped to the ground, horrified at disturbing their queen.

Syaoran just stood there, shocked. He had just kissed the queen of Hiroshima? Suddenly, he felt something scampering across his foot, and looked down. It was the little golden ball that had disturbed their kiss. Reaching down and grabbing the ball, Syaoran gaped incredulously as it unfolded. A dog?

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***double-number birthday: tenth birthday, when the age is represented by two digits.**

**AN: So, whatcya think? I made up that double-number thing, but that¡¯s ok. I have a creative license!**

**I¡¯m trying to write my chappies longer, am I getting better? I sure hope so¡­..I¡¯ve started writing a new story, and I think it¡¯s okay so far. Please do read it and give me suggestions. I don¡¯t plan very well, so if you guys have any ideas at all, please tell me!**

**And don¡¯t forget to review!!!**

**Pink_hime_sakura**


	6. The Banquet III

**Hey, everyone! **

**Important: I¡¯m thinking of discontinuing this fanfic; I¡¯m running out of fresh ideas, and I don¡¯t want to copy all my ideas off the Illiad. What do you think? Then I¡¯ll have more time to spend on my second fic, which I like a lot better. Please tell me what you think.**

**Oh, thanks to lunemangelus for notifying me of my fic not accepting anonymous reviews! I¡¯ve changed that, and sorry to any anonymous readers I might¡¯ve offended. *Bows low* Gomen ne!**

**Thanks to the people who have been reviewing, and I hope you will continue to R/R my work.**

**Disclaimer: Me no own CCS. Me no own Illiad. Nuff said.**

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_¡°Kero-chan!¡±_

_Upon hearing the commanding voice of his mistress, Kero sheepishly lowered his head, repentant._

_Sakura just laughed and ruffled his head. ¡°Get to your kennel, dog.¡± Sakura was so relieved that Kero had come back. Kero had become a sort of symbol for Sakura and Syaoran; he had appeared the first day they met in Menelaus¡¯ palace._

_¡°What was Kero doing outside?¡± Tomoyo always had a special affection for the golden dog, and usually whenever she visited, she brought him treats._

_¡°Stupid mutt ran away, probably to scourge the houses of Hong Kong for some treat he hadn¡¯t already licked up.¡± Syaoran acted like he hated Kero, but in truth was rather fond of him. Two days ago when he disappeared, Syaoran was just as worried as Sakura was._

¡°Ah,¡± said Eriol. ¡°The dog takes after his master...¡± Understanding the hidden meaning beneath these words, Syaoran growled and lunged at Eriol, but Eriol was not the commander of the armies of Hong Kong for nothing. He dodged, and Syaoran plunged at nothing, tripping himself.

_Undignified, lying on the floor, Syaoran glared menacingly at Eriol. ¡°You know I¡¯m faithful to Sakura. I love her, and I¡¯ll be damned if I let anyone say anything else on the matter.¡± Syaoran lifted himself up from the floor, his body language clearly suggesting that Eriol had better shut up._

_Eriol merely smiled. He knew best how to irritate Syaoran._

_¡°Boys, boys, play nice.¡± Tomoyo said with mock rebuke._

_A servant appeared in the guest hall, head bowed low. ¡°Master, mistress, dinner is served.¡±_

Hand in hand, the two couples left the hall.

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Syaoran stared at the shrimp of a dog, which was now currently engaged in getting himself away from the grip of the prince.

¡°Oh, please, gracious Queen, noble sir, forgive us most errant servants!¡± All the servants were groveling at having interrupted the Queen.

¡°Oh, do stand. Haven¡¯t I already told all of you to stop doing that?¡± Sakura was obviously irritated at such a special moment being disturbed. ¡°It¡¯s alright. What¡¯s the meaning of this, anyways?¡±

Syaoran was amazed at how Sakura could transform from being a sweet, beautiful, gentle angel to an elegant, majestic, powerful Queen in the blink of an eye. This woman is remarkable! He found himself tuning out the conversation between the Queen and their servants, and instead paying attention to the melodious voice of the Queen, cresting in waves, sometimes low and mellow, sometimes high and fluty. Lulled by the sound of Sakura¡¯s voice, Syaoran seemed to remember his magnificent dream of the three goddesses, and of Aphrodite¡¯s words, ¡°_Choose me, Syaoran-kun...Choose me, and you will have the most beautiful lady in the world as your wife.¡±_

Syaoran was in a trance-like state when he suddenly woke up, thanks to the scratches of the little ball of golden fur he had forgotten to release. Howling, more in surprise than in pain, Syaoran immediately stopped any ongoing conversation the Queen was having with the servants, who were staring at him.

¡°What?¡± He snapped. Disentangling his hand from the claws of the puny dog, he held it by the scruff of its neck. It yelped in disagreement at being so roughly handled.

¡°We¡¯re sorry, gracious sir, that we allowed that mangy mutt to escape from the kitchens. Its mother just whelped, and it stole a bit of food. As we were chasing it, we never thought we would have stumbled upon her Highness and your gracious self in such a way.¡± 

After being scratched up, Syaoran was definitely not in a good mood. ¡°How dare you let this mangy cur run loose around the palace? Do you know who I am? I am the visiting prince from the illustrious island of Hong Kong! That gives me power to punish you in any way I choose.¡±

Now even more horrified, the servants scrambled over each other in order to have their lives saved. Finally, tired of all the groveling, Syaoran barked, ¡°Guards!¡± and placed the puppy onto the floor.

Sakura, who had been standing in shock since Syaoran announced his true identity, stepped forward, motioning for the guards to return to their stations. Once again assuming the role of Queen, she stepped forward. ¡°Prince Li, please allow them to go free. What interest have you in a bunch of servants¡¯ heads? It is but a dog, and my new pet, at that.¡± 

Even Sakura was shocked to hear that the little fuzzball was her new, self-declared pet, and the puppy even seemed to recognize the statement, skittering to its new mistress. ¡°Come, Kero, Prince Li, it seems we are late for the banquet.¡± 

Holding her head up regally, Sakura headed off to the banquet, with Kero and Syaoran trailing after her, and the servants kneeling on the floor.

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**AN: Oooh, I like this chappie! Bad Syaoran, so mean to poor little Kero-chan, ne? Sakura is so...queenly!**

**Well, there¡¯s not much else, so please reply if you want me to continue this story.**

**Ja!**

**pink_pink_sakura**


	7. Author's note

Author's note:  
  
Hey, guys! I'm discontinuing this fic until I get at least 15 reviews for it total, because no one is reviewing, so I assume no one likes it. If I get 15 reviews for me to keep writing, I will, but for now, I'm gonna qork on my other fic, k?  
  
Luv ya, Pink_hime_sakura 


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